1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of using a service providing apparatus such as a network printer as well as to the service providing apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
Recently, with the development of network infrastructure, network-enabled image processing apparatuses such as printers, scanners, and copiers or the like have been spreading rapidly. To use such a network-enabled image processing apparatus, for example, a network-enabled printer, a user must select a printer driver for controlling the network-enabled printer from among printer drivers registered in advance with an operating system which runs on a personal computer and must install it on the personal computer. Alternatively, the user must install, on the personal computer, a printer driver provided on a storage medium such as a floppy (R) disk or CD-ROM by a printer vendor, and then set network information including the IP (Internet Protocol) address assigned to the network-enabled printer, a printer board, and a printing protocol to be used.
However, in the conventional example described above, if the user moves to a network environment different from the previous one for example, if the user moves from an office network environment in building A to an office in a different building B and it becomes necessary at the new location to print a document stored on the personal computer, the user must install a printer driver for a printer on the new network and set network information anew.
In that case, the user must first know what printers are available on the network. Then, the user must get information such as vender names and model names as well as network information such as IP addresses from the administrator of the new network. This involves an enormous amount of time and labor.
Also, if an appropriate printer driver is not available, i.e., if neither a required printer driver exists on any database managed by the operating system nor the user has with him/her a storage medium containing the required printer driver, it is not possible to use the printer.